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Serena Williams is having her last dance at the U.S. Open, and her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. was there to support her mom. On August 29, the 40-year-old tennis global sensation played at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York.
The soon-to-be-retired athlete rocked a black, embellished bodice and tutu skirt by Nike, and her 4-year-old matched with a similar ensemble. Serena completed her look with a pair of Nike and a 1.5-carat, solid gold deubrés spelled out “mama” and “queen” from her brand Serena Williams Jewelry.
Olympia sat in the stands with her dad Alexis Ohanian, wearing braids with white beads, recreating Serena’s look when she won her first U.S. Open in 1999.
“It was either her wear beads or me,” Serena told reporters. “I wanted to do it, but I just didn’t have the time. She asks to wear beads a lot. It actually wasn’t my idea, but I was so happy when she had them on. It’s perfect on her.”
Serena recently told TIME magazine that Olympia is happy she will have more time with the tennis player. “Olympia doesn’t like when I play tennis,” Serena told to the publication revealing that when her daughter learned about the news, she replied with a fist-pumping “Yes!” The athlete then added, “That kind of makes me sad. And brings anxiety to my heart. It’s hard to completely commit when your flesh and blood is saying, Aw.”
The athlete who ranked the world’s No. 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association for 319 weeks has announced in Vogue’s latest issue that she will “evolve away from tennis.” According to Williams, her retirement decision is to focus on “other things that are important to me.”
The 23-time grand slam winner said she will give her all at the US Open, and after it is over, she will be moving “in a different direction.”
“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me,” Serena told Vogue. “I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis toward other things that are important to me.”
She continued: “Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon this year. And I don’t know if I will be ready to win New York. But I’m going to try.”